source: modernamuseet

Christodoulos Panayiotou has a background in dance, performance, and anthropology. His practice weaves together the methods of the researcher and the choreographer, often focusing on various forms of power relations and exchange. The complex history of Cyprus has been a source for many of his works, such as in the year the Republic of Cyprus adopted the euro, 2008, when the artist gathered into a sculptural formation the totality of Cypriot pound banknotes in circulation at the moment. The form, content, and symbology of popular culture are other themes that Panayiotou often revisits. In a recent project he created suggestive objects out of a number of red carpets formerly used at major award ceremonies in Hollywood.

Several works in the exhibition are based on archival material. Through studies of images in governmental archives, such as photographs of official appearances and state visits, the artist examined political rituals and ceremonies of Cyprus and showed how the republic’s self-image was constructed during the charged period following the island’s independence from British colonial rule in 1960. He calls the photographic groupings The Invention of Antiquity, The Invention of Tradition, and The Invention of Folklore (2011). After the 1974 division of the island-state in its current form, the republic’s first president, Greek Orthodox archbishop Makarios III, surrounded himself with gestures and objects that shaped the official story of a new political era. The series New Office (2012) bears witness to this historic phase.

“A specific photograph of wooden crates with antiquities ready to leave the port of Kyrenia attracted my attention first. It is a very charged image incorporating several layers of my obsessions, such as the establishment of archeology as a modern foundation of the nation state; colonialism and symbolic domination; materiality and negative presence. Soon after, when going through its records, I realized the precious nature of the material and the role that the archeological excavation had in the construction of a certain image of Cyprus during the early 1920s, but also projecting backwards into antiquity.”
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: e-flux

For over a decade now, Christodoulos Panayiotou (born in 1978, living and working in Limassol and Paris) has enjoyed many different solo exhibitions throughout the world. History, sociology and contemporary society are great sources of inspiration for the artist, and from these he builds a corpus of subtle, intelligent and enigmatic work.

The conjunction and, serving as the title of his solo show at Casino Luxembourg, represents a transitional zone, a brief moment before something else occurs, while avoiding any indication of a hegemonic theme. Indeed, Panayiotou perceived this exhibition as so many propositions and explorations. Just like syntax adds meaning to words, the works in the show come together, forming constellations with variable potentialities depending on interrelationships and associations. And is an “event” that can be constantly reinvented via various conceptual approaches.

The artist, being at first impressed by the layers of architectural elements that have marked the building from era to era, decided to reveal, through the demolition of the white cubes the original interior of the “Casino bourgeois,” triggering thus a confrontation between his work and the archaeology of the building. This step, which constitutes delving into history, is essential in the work of Panayiotou. In a series of works (Wonder Land, Never Land, I Land) rooted in archival material, he refers to the island where he was born, Cyprus, by investigating and questioning major political and historical narratives.

Furthermore, the exhibition includes a large number of his sculptural works (2008, Independence Street, The Sea and Operation Serenade among others) which echoes both the heritage of the pedagogues of “modern theatre” and methods of anthropological investigation.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: littleconstellation

Born 1978 in Limassol, Cyprus. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Originally trained in dance and performing arts in Lyon and London Christodoulos Panayiotou’s works are performance-based and collectively span every level of what one could describe as a spectrum of the performative in art – from creating a space for an activity such as dancing, directing actors and events, to the recording and tracing of both the artist’s and society’s ‘performances’. Formed in a range of media, often incorporating video and sound within installation Panayiotou’s aesthetic interventions often reference political stimuli and yet can be read in a multitude of ways. In 2005 Panayiotou won the 4th DESTE Prize from the DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Athens, Greece. He has recently exhibited in The Museum Of Modern Art Oxford, UK, 2006; The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, 2007; Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center Istanbul, 2006; and Den Frie, Copehagen, 2007.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: casino-luxembourglu

Depuis une dizaine d’années, Christodoulos Panayiotou (né en 1978, vit et travaille à Limassol et à Paris) bénéficie de nombreuses expositions personnelles à travers l’Europe et aux États-Unis. Histoire, sociologie et société contemporaine sont autant de sources où se nourrit la pensée de l’artiste et à partir desquelles il construit une oeuvre subtile et intelligente, voire énigmatique.

Cette démarche, qui consiste à creuser l’histoire, est essentielle dans le travail de Panayiotou. Dans une série d’oeuvres enracinée dans du matériel documentaire et des archives, il se réfère de prime abord à son île natale, la Chypre, mais pas seulement : ses recherches portant sur le folklore chypriote et l’image publique de la politique, telle qu’elle est véhiculée par les médias, sont autant de motifs pour illustrer des processus culturels plus généraux de la société contemporaine.

Plus loin, en choisissant des objets marqués par l’histoire et en les déplaçant dans un espace-temps différent – en l’occurrence le lieu d’exposition – l’artiste propose d’ouvrir le champ d’interprétation et d’imagination. À titre d’exemple, la série des tapis rouges enroulés évoquent à la fois un événement éphémère (une soirée people) et un fait historique (Operation Serenade, les funérailles du président américan Ronald Reagan) : pratiques médiatiques et rituelles se rejoignent. La manière de Christodoulos Panayiotou de considérer le monde peut être qualifiée de « baroque contemporain », un monde où tout serait spectacle et performance et chaque être humain un acteur potentiel prêt à se mettre en scène afin de créer son propre mythe. Les objets personnalisés sont autant d’outils à cette mise en scène, au culte de la personnalité et à la création de mythes.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: artaids

Christodoulos Panayiotou nació en 1978 en Limassol (Chipre) y vive actualmente en Berlín.

Formado originariamente en artes performativas y danza en Lyon y Londres, la obra de Christodoulos Panayiotou está integrada por performances y abarca colectivamente todos los niveles de lo que podría describirse como un espectro de lo performativo en el arte, desde la creación de un espacio para una actividad como la danza, la dirección de actores y acontecimientos, hasta la grabación y el seguimiento de las performances, tanto del artista como de la sociedad. Formado en diversos medios, incorporando a menudo el vídeo y el sonido en la instalación, las intervenciones estéticas de Panayiotou con frecuencia hacen referencia a estímulos políticos y, a pesar de ello, pueden leerse de multitud de maneras distintas.

En 2005 Panayiotou ganó el premio DESTE de la Fundación DESTE para las Artes Contemporáneas de Atenas y en 2011 recibió el premio Futuro de Europa del Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Leipzig. Entre otros, ha expuesto de forma individual y colectiva en el Museo de Arte Moderno de Oxford (2006), el Museo Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo de Atenas (2007), el Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Platform Garanti de Estambul (2006), el MoCA (Miami, 2009), Artists Space (Nueva York, 2009), Witte de With (Róterdam, Países Bajos, 2009 y 2010), Kunsthalle Zürich (2010), Bonniers Konsthall (Estocolmo, 2010), Cubitt (Londres, 2010), Parasol Unit (Londres, 2011) y el Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Leipzig (2011).